demons run when a good man goes to war
by titania eli
Summary: AU. There was nothing more important than his brothers, and Sabo would not let anyone stop him from saving Ace.
1. Chapter 1

**Demons run when a good man goes to war**

Situated on a little island in the corner of the Grandline was a revolutionary base with more civilians than fighters. It was disguised as a fishing port and conveniently located in the center of the intersecting paths. It acted mainly as a resting place for revolutionaries to recuperate and replenish their supplies.

Sabo had not wanted to linger long, but the tranquil atmosphere and sea gulls in the evenings made him craved for peace and solitude.

It wasn't something that he gets to enjoy often, so Sabo was reluctant to leave.

He looked down at his work desk, not really seeing anything. Holding back a sigh, he rubbed his tired eyes. The ink on the documents in front of him looked like they were going to melt off the pages the longer he strained his eyes.

Hiding a yawn, he finally submitted to the exhaustion plaguing him, rolling back his aching shoulders as he straightened up. He slowly gathered the documents together to put them aside.

Being a revolutionary wasn't as glamourous as it sounded. There were much more to it than raiding slave ships, rescuing prisoners and opposing the World Government.

Namely, the monotonous and tedious paperwork. They existed for a reason after all. The revolutionary had to operate in an efficient and organized manner and everything had to be archived for that to happen.

Sabo always suspected that the only reason he was appointed Chief of Staff was because Dragon had not wanted to deal with any of that.

He prided himself on his meticulousness and really, he had to be the only idiot around that gave a damn about the paperwork. But he could never stand clutter.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when the doors to his quarters banged open. He instinctively reached out for his weapon by his side, freezing when he registered the crimson newsboy cap.

"Sabo!" Koala panted, bending over to catch her breath. "Look at this!"

She staggered towards him, slamming a rolled newspaper on the desk. The newspaper unfolded, displaying the bounty picture of a grinning, freckled Ace that took up at least half of the page.

He quickly skimmed through the article, his heart rate increasing as he picked up words like 'arrested', 'execution' and 'Impel Down'.

"Ace..." He breathed, suddenly feeling lightheaded. His legs turned to jelly and his knees buckled.

"Whoa, Sabo!" Koala exclaimed, nearly flipping the desk over as she rushed to catch him. "Are you alright?"

"Ace–" He repeated weakly. He has to stop the execution, he has to save his brother, he has to – to –

"Get a grip of yourself!" Koala shouted, slapping his cheek lightly. The slight sting on his cheek jerked him out of his hysterical panicking. When he looked up at her, his face was desperate and focused.

"I have to save Ace." He said, his eyes as hard as flint.

**Night will fall and drown in sun  
>when a good man goes to war<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Friendship dies and true love lies<strong>

**Night will fall and the dark will rise**

"That's six – no, a _dozen_ levels of stupid, Sabo!" Koala raged as she struggled to catch up with his longer strides. "You can't just charge in there and save him! _Without a plan_!"

_Watch me_, he thought stubbornly as he continued to ignore her.

"You're going to jeopardize everything! Are you trying to drag the revolutionary into a war?!" She demanded, reaching out to seize his arm.

"I don't care!" he growled, trying to yank his arm back from her grip. But she was too strong and she refused to let go. "There is nothing more important than my brother!"

"Listen to reason, Sabo, _please_. Marineford is going to be swarming with high-ranking marines. All three Admirals are going to be there, and so is the Shichibukai. Do you think Whitebeard is going to abandon Ace? He has been tearing apart the New World trying to reclaim back his son and he's definitely going to be there to rescue Ace. Marineford is going to be filled with chaos and if you just go charging into that mess alone, you might die!" She yelled, face turning red in anger.

"And if I stay here and not do anything and – and just wait for Ace to be rescued, I will never be able to raise my head and face Luffy again!" He retorted fiercely, not in the least swayed by her argument.

When it came to his brothers' safety, he's deaf to reason.

"I'm going to Marineford, Koala," he said determinedly. "I don't want to fight you, but if you try to stop me, I won't hold back on you."

Her hand tightened around his forearm, blunt nails digging into his flesh. Her jaw clenched angrily as she met his glare with an equally furious one of her own.

It was barely a minute, but it felt like hours to Sabo, but Koala finally relented as her grip loosened.

"Fine. _But_ either you're taking me with you," She exhaled in frustration, giving him a wilful look of challenge. "Or you're not going anywhere."

His face softened and relief warmed his chest. Before she could react, he was hugging her tightly in gratitude.

"Thank you thank you thank–" He chanted. The daunting mission ahead suddenly doesn't feel as scary as before anymore, if he has his best friend by his side.

"Yeah, yeah." Koala flushed in embarrassment, shoving him away. But there was a noticeable lack of protest when he dragged her away.

**When a good man goes to war**

**Demons run but count the cost**

* * *

><p>"When Dragon-san finds out about this, I'm going to say that you threatened me into this." Koala said as she watched the port in the distance gradually grew smaller.<p>

Sabo was too anxious to do anything more than rolled his eyes at her.

"He'll be fine." She smiled slightly, eyes gentle when she noticed his anxiety.

He bowed his head, twisting and rubbing his fingers together. He was grateful for her attempt at reassuring him, but he wouldn't be able to relax until he sees Ace.

"If I know Luffy at all, he'll be there too." He murmured.

Koala laughed, her teeth showing. "Definitely."

She has never met either of Sabo's brothers, but the blonde used to speak of them, weaving childhood memories into stories that made his eyes bright and his smile gentle and full of longing and _love_. Her heart ached whenever he gets that particular look on his face, that heart-breaking loneliness that caused him to retreat into himself and locked his heart behind a steel door. Koala knew that whenever that happened, there were only two people in this world that possessed the keys to unlock that door.

Luffy sounded even more insane and reckless than Sabo, and she couldn't imagine how but he sounded like the sort of guy that would storm Marineford to save his brother. She could only pray that at least the younger man's crew was with him.

"I'm scared." Sabo whispered, and all the things he wouldn't – _couldn't _say rang unspoken between them. _Scared of not being able to save Ace, of facing his brothers, of failing Luffy, of losing his brothers again._

It _terrified _him.

"He'll be fine." Koala said emphatically, squeezing his hand. "And I'll be watching your back, so you can do whatever you have to and save Ace."

He wanted to respond but his throat felt tight and he couldn't breathe so he simply nodded.

He gazed out at the endless sea, unexpectedly calm and serene – a brief respite before the chaos that would soon sweep across the entire world. The calm before the storm.

_"I'm coming, Ace."_

He closed his eyes and breathed and prayed that he wasn't too late.

**The battle is won but the child is lost**


	2. Chapter 2

"There's a ship ahead of us, Sabo." Koala called out in warning, bended over a pair of binoculars.

His eyes opened and he sat up, instantly alert.

"A Marine ship?" He asked.

Koala frowned and squinted her eyes. "No… It's a pirate ship. I can see the jolly roger."

He stalked towards her, gently tugging the binoculars out of her hands. He peered into the lens and zoomed in towards the flag flapping violently in the wind.

"…It's the Red Hair Pirates." He murmured. He heard Koala sucked in a startled breath.

"You don't think…?" She asked worriedly.

"Why else would a Yonko be heading in the direction of Marineford?" He asked rhetorically. "Come on, let's go."

Koala tensed, blinking wide eyes at him in shock as he put aside the binoculars and grabbed his metal pipe.

"What are you doing?!" She shrieked, seizing the back of his jacket to stop him just as he turned around to walk over to the helm.

"We're going to catch up with them, of course." He said nonchalantly, not in the least affected and continued walking. "We won't be able to reach Marineford in time if it's just the both of us sailing this ship. I'm decent at navigating, but we need a good navigator to sail us towards Marineford safely. I'm not going to crash and sink into the ocean before I managed to save my brother."

"Wait a moment, we can't just sail up to their ship and not expect them to retaliate!" She groused. "We're an unknown ship with no flag. And what are you going to tell Red-Haired Shanks?" She straightened up, scrunching up her nose as she imitated the blonde. _"'Hi, I'm Sabo and I'm Luffy's older brother!'"_ Her brows furrowed angrily and she threw up her hands in the air. "I know Shanks and your younger brother have history together, but he's not going to believe you that easily!"

"It'll be fine. Stop fussing. He's not like Kaido. He'll listen to me." Sabo said patiently. "Besides, there's only two of us. We're no threat to him."

"You must have a death wish!" She nearly yelled, but she didn't stop him as he sailed towards the Red Force.

* * *

><p>To Koala's complete befuddlement, that was <em>exactly<em> what Sabo did.

The moment he was granted permission to come aboard the Red Force, he promptly told the red-haired Yonko that he was Luffy's older brother, in exactly the same manner she had said just a few moments ago.

Cheerfully and without a care in the world.

If she hadn't just watched Sabo nearly broke down back at the base and heard the blonde confessed his fears an hour ago, she'd have totally fallen for the charade that he had put up.

"Another brother?" Shanks frowned in bewilderment. "Just how many older brothers does Luffy have?"

"Just two." Sabo answered. "Ace and I."

The redhead looked up and stared at him, his frown deepening. Sabo patiently waited, not looking away.

The tension on the deck felt like it was going to snap her in half. She was in danger of going stir crazy if this continued.

Finally, Shanks nodded and a smile broke across his face. He threw back his head and laughed. Koala blinked at the Yonko in confusion.

"I believe you." Shanks grinned. "You're definitely Luffy's brother."

Koala breathed a sigh of relief and briefly wondered what the Yonko had seen in Sabo's eyes.

"Let me guess, you want me to take you and your friend here to Marineford?" Shanks asked. Without waiting for Sabo to answer, he continued, "It's going to be very dangerous there. I might not be able to protect you there."

"I don't need your protection." Sabo replied swiftly. "I'm heading there to save Ace. I can protect myself."

"As reckless as Luffy..." The redhead muttered under his breath as he shook his head. "Alright, buckle up then. We're heading towards Marineford full speed."

Sabo relaxed and felt some of the tension faded. Now he has obtained a ride. It's time to start planning on how exactly was he going to save Ace.

* * *

><p>In the end, he couldn't come up with anything for a decent plan. He has no information on who was going to be guarding the perimeters, or the security measures the Marines had taken and even the blueprints of the headquarters. He was going in blind.<p>

Furthermore, he had to factor in the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies' presences at Marineford.

Koala was right. Marineford was going to be chaotic by the time he arrived.

"Hey, I can see the island!" Someone hollered upfront.

Sabo nearly tripped over his feet as he rushed to the front of the ship. He stopped beside Shanks, squinting his eyes.

"The war has started." Shanks said quietly.

The blonde glanced around, arching a brow when he noticed pieces of ice floating in the ocean.

"That's Aokiji's ability." Koala said, coming up right beside him.

He exhaled, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them.

"I'm going ahead first." He said firmly. He vaguely registered Shanks and Koala's alarmed cries as he jumped off the ship.

_"Don't do anything reckless, you idiot!"_ Koala screamed after him.

Using the floating ice pieces as a foothold, he ricocheted towards the headquarters with only one goal in mind.

_Save Ace._

* * *

><p>He was going so fast that by the time he reached his destination, the ground and ice was cracking underneath his feet and he was knocking confused Marines aside with his pipe.<p>

He could see the mayhem from his position, the flames and sheer heat making his eyes watered.

He wanted to curse Ace out the moment he spotted the dark hair and tattooed back. Why the hell wasn't the idiot running?!

His legs ached and his knees threatened to buckle, but he refused to fall. He saw the moment Akainu's attention shifted away from Ace.

_Luffy!_

It might have been ten years since he has seen Ace, but he knew his brother well. Luffy has always been first priority.

Infusing his body with haki, he shot forward, swinging his pipe up to block the punch.

He could feel the impact shattering the pipe in his hands. The metal shrieked and protested as it splintered, the searing magma licking the front of his clothes, his cravat burning up from the sheer heat. He could feel the magma blistered his chest, the unbearable pain coaxing a cry of agony from his lips.

_Not again_, he thought. _Not again notagain —_

With a burst of defiance, desperation and fear, his haki coated his legs, painting the skin black under his pants and he lashed out. His haki mastery was still shaky, so he could feel the magma burning his leg the moment it made contact with Akainu's logia body.

He could taste blood on his tongue as he stumbled backwards. The battlefield was silent as Marine and pirate alike startled at the unexpected turn of events.

_Hah_, Sabo thought as he sent a silent apology to Koala,_ I end up doing something reckless after all._

He swayed and staggered, his vision blurring and he blearily felt a pair of arms wrapped around his waist to catch him. Warmth encompassed him, a cloud of black hovering above him.

"...Sabo?" A terrified voice whispered. He struggled to keep awake, his breath hitching as he felt a warm hand pushed aside his hair.

"If you think… that I'm going to let you die here—" He coughed, spitting out blood. "After — After everyone worked so hard to save you…"

"It's really Sabo!" Luffy choked. "How — How — Anyway, we've to treat your wounds! Someone, someone—"

_"Stay awake, Sabo!" _Ace shouted, gripping the blonde's face tightly. His eyes were shocked and wild. Sabo wanted to tell him that he looked like shit, but he doubted he looked any better. His everywhere hurts like a bitch and he has no strength to joke.

"Not… dying." He reassured, trying to smile. He just needed a short respite and a chance to catch his breath.

"Who are you?!" Akainu roared, furious that his prey had escaped death.

Everyone reacted instantly.

Ace hauled Sabo up, wrapping his arm around the latter to keep him up and using his own body to cover the blonde from the Admiral's rage.

_"Everyone stop Akainu!"_

A dozen of cannon balls shot towards the Admiral, but they simply passed through his logia body seamlessly.

Over Ace's shoulder, Sabo could see Akainu pulling back his fist to launch another attack. Luffy screamed in anger.

The blonde flinched from the heat as Jinbe intercepted Akainu. Seeing so many people desperate to save Ace lended Sabo a strength he didn't know he still possessed. Using Ace and Luffy as support, he steadied his legs.

"Can you run, Luffy?" He panted.

Luffy nodded frantically, his words stolen from his lips as Sabo turned to him.

"Can _you_ run?" Ace demanded anxiously, withholding his confusion and anger for later to help the blonde.

"Of course… Who do you think you're talking to?" Sabo chuckled breathlessly.

Tugging each other along, they made their escape as the Whitebeard pirates guarded their backs and attacked Akainu.

Unfortunately, Akainu was relentless and swat the pirates aside as if they were simply flies. He chased after the three brothers, magma trailing behind him and burning everything in the wake of his path.

Marco clashed against the Admiral and Jinbe shot forward to help Ace and picked up both Luffy and Sabo.

"No… Ace—" Sabo pleaded, reaching out to grab Ace's wrist. He knew Ace, and he knew Ace would not be able to resist helping out Whitebeard.

"Ace, please, let's go—" It was getting harder to breathe, and the Fishman was gripping him a little too tightly over his wound. The earth beneath their feet rumbled and Marineford split into two. Ace almost stumbled backwards and into the gaping hole if he had not been holding onto him.

If Ace was to run off after his captain and seek revenge against Blackbeard, who had just appeared with his crew, Sabo would not have the strength left to stop him.

The timing couldn't be any more bad.

"You look like you're in deep trouble, Sabo!"

He wanted to cry in relief when he heard a familiar voice. Scratch that, the timing was just right.

"Stop, she's my friend!" He yelped when Jinbe tensed and flames burst from Ace's fists.

Koala balked at the sight of the Fishman, but she quickly regained her composure and turned to Sabo. She ran a critical look over his body and scowled fiercely.

"Ace…" He murmured.

She nodded curtly, reached out to seize Ace's arm and started dragging the bewildered man away. Ace's legendary stubbornness was bad enough to even surpass Sabo's, and she had promised Sabo that she would have his back. She's not going to let Ace go anywhere.

"Hey, let go!" Ace protested.

"Shut the hell up!" Koala growled.

Jinbe followed after the bickering pair, clutching the two brothers under his arms securely. Sabo's strength failed him then and he blacked out.

* * *

><p>When he woke up, he could feel cold metal underneath his back. There were people rushing around him frantically.<p>

"Don't move!" Someone snapped, pushing him back down.

"Ace... Luffy... Where are—" He croaked weakly.

"They are safe and alive and recuperating in the other room!" The other man growled in irritation. "Now stay down!"

_Safe._

That was all he needed to know.

Sabo felt the darkness dragged him away again.

* * *

><p>He woke up again, this time to total darkness. He blinked wearily and forced himself to sit up. Outside, he could hear the calm waves of the sea.<p>

"Sabo, you're up!" He nearly jumped when the lump on the chair beside him shifted and leaped up.

"Koala, what happened?" He asked.

Koala beamed at him brightly. "You actually did it, you bastard! You saved Ace! We're on Trafalgar Law's submarine and heading towards Amazon Lily."

As the girl excitedly spoke about what had happened right after he passed out, he found his attention wandering and expanding his haki to sense out his brothers.

His haki control wavered and he sagged in exhaustion. Not good, he was still too weak.

"I need to see them." He said firmly. Koala yelped in surprise as he swung his legs out of bed. He was grateful as he felt her hands curved over his underarm, steadying him as he swayed against the vertigo.

"You're so reckless." She sighed, but didn't stop him as he limped his way out of the room. The wound on his chest felt itchy under the bandages and he had to resist scratching and reopening the injury.

He winced against the sunlight, using a hand to shield his eyes. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the glaring light, he took a look around the deck. There was a huge galleon pulled by a pair of Yuda at the front sailing right next to the submarine. He vaguely recognized the jolly roger as the Kuja Pirates.

"Sabo, you're awake!" He was momentarily blind sided by a body that nearly knocked him off his feet. "Hey — Ace, Sabo's awake!"

"Luffy!" He choked, struggling against the hug. "That hurts!"

"Oh, sorry!" Luffy immediately loosened his grip, but didn't let go. Dark hair tickled Sabo's chin as the younger boy nuzzled his throat.

The blonde looked up and felt his breathing hitched when he saw Ace. Other than a few scratches and bruises, the dark-haired pirate looked the best amongst them.

He felt apprehension and fear when he noticed the blank look in Ace's eyes.

"Ace…" He swallowed.

The pirate seemed to snap out of his daze and a mixture of emotions flickered across his face. Sabo watched in fascination as Ace struggled to control his emotions.

Ace has always been the most expressive out of them.

"Sabo, if you wasn't already hurt, I'd have punch you already." Ace said lowly.

The blonde choked on a sob as his chest tightened with the relief. It seemed to be the dam that broke and Ace lunged forward, wrapping his two brothers into a crushing hug.

"I — I'm home, Ace, Luffy!" He cried, cheeks blotchy with red and tears.

Luffy giggled under his chin and hugged him tighter while Ace tried to pretend that he wasn't crying by shoving his face into Luffy's shoulder.

"Welcome home, Sabo!" Luffy smiled brilliantly.

It would be a long time before the three brothers could heal and mend themselves from the decade-long crack. There were stories to share and Sabo wanted to hear them all.

For the first time in ten long, painful and lonely years, Sabo felt the smothering grief and darkness receded as he found himself back home in his brothers' arms.


End file.
